Gyeong-su Kim, Governor of Gyeongnam, "I Will Propose Hadong as a Special Disaster Area"

Yoon Sang-gi, Hadong County Governor (right), is briefing Kim Kyung-soo, Governor of Gyeongnam Province (left), on the situation in Hadong County, which suffered flood damage due to heavy rain. (Photo by Gyeongnam Province)

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kang Woo-kwon] Kim Kyung-soo, Governor of Gyeongnam Province, announced on the 11th that he would "quickly request the central government to declare Hadong-gun, which suffered flood damage due to heavy rain, a special disaster area."

On the afternoon of the 9th, during a visit to the flood-damaged area of Hwagae Market in Hwagae-myeon, Hadong-gun, Governor Kim responded to the request of Yoon Sang-gi, Mayor of Hadong-gun, saying, "Restoration is the top priority, and we will provide as much support as possible from the province. Since Hwagae suffered concentrated damage, we will request the declaration of a special disaster area, possibly including other regions, as soon as we confirm whether it is feasible."

A special disaster area is declared by the president to provide urgent restoration support to regions affected by natural disasters or major accidents.

According to the "Framework Act on the Management of Disasters and Safety," it can be designated when the local government's administrative or financial capacity is insufficient to handle the disaster. When the president declares a special disaster area, 50% of various restoration costs are supported by the national government. Since the Moon Jae-in administration, the declaration process has been improved to be more prompt by subdividing from the existing city, county, and district units to the eup, myeon, and dong units.

On the morning of the same day, Governor Kim chaired an "Emergency Inspection Meeting on Heavy Rain Damage and Response Status" at the Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters and visited the Hadong damage site immediately after the meeting.

Yoon Sang-gi, Mayor of Hadong-gun, explained, "The water released by opening the sluice gates met the heavy rain, blocking the waterway, causing an event that has not occurred in over 50 years. Especially during the peak vacation season, market merchants had stocked many goods, resulting in significant losses."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.